


𝕃𝕠𝕤𝕥 𝕚𝕟 𝕐𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕕𝕒𝕪

by carbonatedmilktea



Category: Hunter X Hunter, Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Badass Reader, Cannibalism, Creepy Hisoka (Hunter X Hunter), Eventual Smut, F/M, Female Protagonist, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gay, Ghoul Reader (Tokyo Ghoul), Ghouls, Gothic, Hisoka's Bungee Gum Nen Ability (Hunter X Hunter), Isekai, Kagune (Tokyo Ghoul), Nen (Hunter X Hunter), No Lesbians Die, Reader-Insert, Self-Indulgent, Slow Burn, Touch-Starved, Trauma, kinda homosexual, kurapika is now drowning in an indescribable emptiness, no beta we die like men, reader kinda insane, reader op
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:27:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26808871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carbonatedmilktea/pseuds/carbonatedmilktea
Summary: One moment, you're dying. Cold, alone, and afraid.The next you're waking up in a flower field hungry as hell wondering where and when you are. A search for food turns into a quest with four interesting idiots you decide are worthy of not being your next meal.(GHOUL !READER X HXH)
Relationships: Gon Freecs/Killua Zoldyck, Hisoka (Hunter x Hunter)/Reader, Kurapika (Hunter X Hunter) & Reader, Kurapika (Hunter X Hunter)/Reader
Comments: 68
Kudos: 265





	1. pâro

**Author's Note:**

> TW for poorly written gore and such i mean.. reader is a ghoul ;-; 
> 
> Also this is just some self indulgent fun. It'll probably still make sense to you if all you know ab Tokyo Ghoul is the premise bc reader will have to explain her species to killua, gon, kurapika, and leorio lol
> 
> anyway if ur readin this i hope u enjoy!! <3

It was raining when you died. 

Life had been one struggle after another. Growing up poor. Not being human in a world infested with them. Sometimes you liked to ponder where it all went wrong... as if your very existence hadn’t been wrong in the first place. 

You shifted your head to look at the cloudy sky, wishing for stars. What a cliche it is to die in the rain, you thought. You shifted and didn’t bother to stifle the grunts of pain, oh-so aware of the blood puddling around you and merging with the rain water. 

There was no way you could tell how long you laid there, as seconds dragged on for minutes, minutes for hours, hours for eons. Every breath being more of a struggle than the last. Could you have changed something? Now that you thought about it, you could hardly remember how you had ended up in this situation. You searched your mind, only to find nothing. Just the reminder of your demise.

Well, whatever it was that had gotten you here, you wished you had put up more of a fight. 

Your thoughts began to slow and slur together, until everything was unrecognizable, with only the pitter patter of the rain to keep you company. 

Until the rain was gone too. 

All in one moment, everything came back. 

You gasped for air like a fish out of water, eyes flicking open as you scrambled for something to grip onto.

Confused, you looked down at yourself. No blood. No gaping wound in your chest. No rain or dirty asphalt. In fact, there were flowers all around you, in between your fingers, brushing against your thighs. 

You gently pried yourself out of the pretty vegetation, holding a hand up to shield from the midday sun in this perfect flower meadow. As you attempted to stand, however, a pang of hunger struck you, and you wobbled before crashing back into the flowers. 

Petals fluttered into the air as you laid there for a moment with your face in the ground. God you were absolutely ravenous. 

After a moment you stood, shaky legs slowly carrying you away from the beautiful scenery you had mysteriously awoken in. 

There would be time to ponder your whereabouts later. For now, you were a slave to your hunger, following the mouthwatering scent of flesh. Your nose did not disappoint. 

Humans. A lot of them. 

You smiled, and it wasn’t pleasant. You wouldn’t be surprised if you were foaming at the mouth. Who could blame you though? There was so much food. So fresh.. So tantalizing. 

No one paid you any attention as you drunkenly stumbled around the bustling market of people. Somewhere in the back of your mind, you noted that the city didn’t look as modern as it probably should, but you didn’t have enough willpower to pull yourself away from the thoughts of grabbing a random person and dragging them into an alley to feast. 

You entered a backroad, eyes widening with mania and glee to see a old man hunched over with a cigarette. He looked infested, and possibly like he tasted stale, but it was good enough for you.

Your eyes glowed red as you stepped under the cold, comforting shadow cast by the building, a single drop of sweat sliding down your face and dripping onto the pavement. 

The man turned his sleepy eyes to your rabid figure, and opened his mouth to say something he never got the chance to. 

The wet slick sound of tearing flesh and your grunts of contentment at a filling belly were the only noises for a while. Meat snapped free off bone like lego pieces, and you ate like a wild animal. 

Red, red, red. Dampening your clothes, filling your mouth, dirtying your hands, splattering on your face. The man had not had the chance to cry, or even be in pain, and for a long time it was just you and your food. 

You unlatched yourself as you regained self control, tipping your head back as the blood ran through your teeth and dribbled down your chin. Admiring the mess you made, you looked down at yourself and tsk’d, somewhat annoyed. 

The old black zip up would survive, but the tank top underneath and your once clean school skirt didn't stand a chance. 

You ran your hands over your face and groaned, palms digging into your eyes as you enjoyed the clarity of your now fresh mind. 

Now.. where the hell were you?


	2. wytai

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (y/n) meets our resident sunshine boy gon and learns of her new world !! Still doesn't remember much though ;-;

Just as quickly as you had descended upon the alleyway, you left. 

Sure you were covered in blood but there really wasn’t much you could do about that. You’d taken off the tank top and used it to wipe your face before discarding it… but you honestly looked like you’d just come from the depths of hell. 

Lost in your own thoughts, you roughly bumped into someone in the market. You shook your head and looked down to apologize only to see a young boy with wide, curious eyes. 

“Sorry.. Didn’t see you there,” You gave the kid a half smile and was about to go on your way when he called out to you. 

“Hey wait!” 

You paused, glancing over your shoulder. 

“Are you okay?? There’s blood all over you.. And I’ve never seen you around here before. I could have sworn I knew everyone on Whale Island!” He tilted his head in confusion as you turned around to face him once more. 

“Whale Island, huh?” You murmured to yourself, although he seemed to pick it up, since he nodded vigorously. “Well if I’m being honest with you.. I’m not sure how I got here. Do you know how I can get back to Tokyo, Japan?” 

He blinked comically, and as his confusion grew at your words you could feel the color slowly draining from your face. 

“I’ve never heard of that!” he smiled sheepishly. “Hey... your face is looking white! Are you sure you're alright??” 

“I think… that I’m very lost..” You whispered, gazing softly at the skyline. 

  
  
  
  
  


An hour later and you were sitting at a dining room table with the boy and his grandmother. If you were being honest, you’d gone along with this whole thing because you thought they’d be easy food, especially since the poor, stupid boy had offered to let you stay there until all your memories returned. 

Apparently, he had an aunt as well, but she was working out at the docs at the moment. His grandmother was nice enough, and an old, withered thing with smile lines and wrinkled tanned skin. She was surprisingly witty and made nice coffee. 

You had learned the boy was named Gon, and all about his quest to be a ‘hunter’. Whatever that was. You had also long since thought of the possibility of not even being in your own universe anymore. The idea popped up a lot in manga you’d read…

For now though, you either would like to think that A. Gon was delusional and this island was secluded from the rest of the world, or B. This was all a bizarre and fantastical dream. 

You supposed they were sweet enough _not_ to eat, even if this all turned out to be your wild imagination. 

Gon’s grandmother had given you some spare clothes when you'd first arrived and ordered you to take a bath before supper. The clothing looked hand woven, and you admired the silkiness of the snow white blouse and long, maroon skirt. It wasn’t your style per-say, but it made you feel like a maiden from a slice of life. It brought a small, content smile to your face. 

The outfit also went well with the small, gold heart shaped locket around your neck. You couldn't quite remember where you'd gotten it in your original life, and the inside had no picture. You decided to ignore it for later. 

Back in the kitchen you sipped your coffee, eyes flickering toward the door as it opened, signaling the arrival of who you assumed to be Gon’s aunt. Swallowing thickly, you prepared yourself for having to explain why you were intruding in her home. 

Gon beat you to it. _And_ she happened to be a sweetheart. 

“Aunt Mito!” he practically sang, running up to her and crushing her with a hug. You couldn’t help the corners of your lips rising. 

“Hello, Gon,” she patted his spiky blackhair before bringing her attention toward you. You felt the need to wiggle out of existence. She was kind of.. Hot. Too old for you, since you were only 15, but hot. 

She smiled broadly at your nervous face. “Who’s this you’ve brought home, huh?” 

Gon started his long rant about how he’d found you, how you didn’t seem to know just how you’d ended up here, and how he was hoping she’d let you stay a few nights.. Or at least until you remembered what had happened. 

It was true… you couldn’t remember much. The moments or days before your arrival were hazy and blocked out. Even most memories of your life… whoever you’d been before.

You didn’t think you could ever forget the painful information of what you were, though. 

The more you sat there, in this boy’s kitchen, where his aunt had just allowed you to stay, chatting with his grandmother who had given you coffee… you _hated_ yourself. You hated what you were. 

Being a ghoul had brought you nothing but heartache. It made you despise yourself. You weren’t embarrassed… you knew that trying to survive was only instinctual. There shouldn’t be anything wrong with the way you needed to live..

And yet..

It felt like you were betraying these kind, island people. 

Aunt Mito brought you to a spare room and informed you you were welcome to sleep there. 

“Who would I be to deny some poor child a place to say,” she had chided, and it made you feel warm inside. 

You wondered how long it had been since you’d felt a maternal presence. Whatever it was, it was too long. A faint image of your mother was all you had been left with. That, and the information that she was dead. 

Wonderful. 

After you and Gon were told dinner wouldn’t be ready for an hour or two, Gon had excitedly insisted showing you around the island and dragged you outside. All you managed was a meek wave towards the two smiling adults before you were out in the world. 

The island was truly beautiful. Gon showed you his favorite places and a number of animals you had never heard of…

More and more, it seemed like you were somewhere else. This couldn’t possibly be your world, could it? Gon seemed to show no signs he knew what ghouls even were and had no fear towards staying out in the woods late. 

You hesitated for a moment as the two of you came to the edge of a cliff overlooking the calm flow of the ocean. The sun was resting over the water, lighting it up like a pile of riches. It was a stunning view… and you envied Gon. 

Envied him for growing up so peacefully. In a place or world where there was no persecution for being like this. For being born. For being so happy and having dreams and goals of his own. 

Unlike you. Aimless. Lost. Always alone..

“Gon?”

“Yeah, (Y/n)?” He turned to you, his smile seeming permanent. It suited him well. 

“Do you know what ghouls are?”

He pondered for a moment as you held your breath. “Uhhh isn’t it like… a ghost or something??” 

You chuckled, keeping your eyes forward on the sea that was glittering like jewels. 

“Not exactly…”

“Well now I’m curious!” 

There was a beat of silence where you pondered revealing yourself or leaving the conversation at that. Easily you could have said nothing... But something told you to be honest. To not lie for once. Suddenly the skin in your back ruptured, releasing four sleek, black appendages. They pulsated and glowed a faint purple near the center. Your head was cast downward, hair shadowing your eyes and your lips were in a thin line. 

The appendages curled around you, spider like and menacing. 

And then you turned to the boy. 

“This is a ghoul.”

Your hair revealed your eyes, both irises glowing an angry red with the rest being wholly black. Your expression seemed almost pained, eyebrows furrowed as if you could feel the harsh rejection coming…

But Gon looked amazed. 

“You look so cool!!” He praised, blind to the melancholy tone of your outburst. He reached out and tentatively touched one of the looming, black and purple limbs with fascination only found in the most wonderfully pleased of people. “Your eyes look really pretty like that!” 

You stared at him for longer than you should have, feeling almost like you could cry. How did he have it in himself to act so kindly toward you?? You could kill him.. you could be eating him if you wanted to. He didn't even know the kind of danger he was truly in. The smile on his face remained ever present and unyielding. The rawness of his emotions frightened you a bit. 

“I…” You cast your gaze downward, finding yourself a bit embarrassed by the turn of events. 

You should have known.. From what you’d seen he wasn’t the judgmental type of kid. You wondered if that would change if you revealed more. 

“They’re called Kagune,” you informed, moving the one he was admiring a bit out of his reach. “Be careful.. They’re quite sharp and the joints in between them are jagged.”

“You’re amazing, (y/n)! You could definitely pass the Hunter Exam with those!” He gave you a smile with his eyes closed and you returned with a smaller one.

Deciding not to test your luck with the more… uncomfortable parts of your species, you pulled them back in and closed your eyes. You released a small breath before opening them back up, revealing normal whites and (e/c) irises. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell Aunt Mito! This can be our secret,” he said, pushing his pointer finger to his grinning lips in a shushing motion as you laughed lightly. 

The two of you turned your backs on the ocean, where the sun was now set with the moon replacing it, lighting up the way to his house for supper. 

  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. nodus tollens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (y/n) and Gon embark on their adventure to leave home!

He had done it. 

The little bastard had done it. 

You had been here for about a week now. Your presence had seemingly settled and everyone got used to having you around. The body, of course, had been discovered, but as it turns out a lot of wild animals sometimes attacked lonesome people and it was marked off as another strange incident. You thanked whatever god was watching over you. 

As for current events, Aunt Mito had set a rule when Gon first turned 12 that if he caught some swamp monster he could go to the exam. You assumed she had that rule because she assumed he'd never catch it. 

Well he had. 

And god it was ugly. 

That didn't matter, however, as you were sitting neatly on a nearby bed while watching Gon hastily pack his clothes. 

"Hey (y/n)-chan are you going to pack?" He asked happily without looking up. You twirled a strand of (h/c) hair and gazed out the window at a stray sparrow. 

"Gon I don't have any damn clothes... and drop the formalities. What's with that all of a sudden??" You scoffed, thought you couldn't help a wry, half smile as you observed how damn excited the boy was. 

"Aunt Mito told me it was more polite!" He assured. 

Speak of the devil, the door creaked open to reveal the woman, arms crossed and expression troubled. You somewhat pitied her. It would be just her and his grandmother in this huge house after the two of you left, because of course you had decided to go with him to make sure he didn't die. You had also become a bit attached to the ball of sunshine, and as small bits an pieces of your past came back to you, you sincerely did not want to go back to a life without him in it. 

Was it embarrassing to say protecting a 12 year old was your new purpose?? Maybe. You didn't really mind. 

It was the first time someone had learned what you were and hadn't tried to kill you or call someone to... The first time you hadn't ended up eating them as well. Truly amazing. 

"Are you sure about this?" Aunt Mito sighed, rubbing her hands together nervously. 

"Yeah!" 

"When you were just a baby, your father abandoned you to be a hunter..." she reminded. "You know that, don't you??"

"I do," Gon said with determination, cleaning the rod of his fishing pole. You tilted your head, curious about the conversation. 

"He chose being a hunter over his own son!" Aunt mito exclaimed, a bit flustered. 

"Yeah.. isn't that amazing? It must be an awesome job if it was worth leaving his kid! Don't you think?"

You decided then and there you hated Gon's father. No.. you didn't think the way he did. Props to Gon for trying to see the bright side but it honestly broke your heart a bit. Aunt Mito was right. 

But more than that, Gon was restless. You could see it. Even if his father was a douche bag who went to get milk and never came back, he wanted to meet him. He needed that closure...

Aunt Mito didn't seem to see it yet. 

"Being a hunter is a dangerous job! You could get killed for any number of ridiculous reasons! Don't you understand??" 

Gon sighed. "No, I don't. But I want to understand! I want to know why it was so important to my dad! That's why I gotta do it!"

You watched Aunt Mito's expression soften and fade away. She saw it now, didn't she? 

"I knew it, your just like Ging," she sighed with a weak smile. 

Gon smiled in return and grabbed his things, running out of the room to go talk to his grandmother. Aunt Mito turned to you. 

"Please.. Protect my boy, will you?" she asked, voice a bit shaky. You pitied her, and grabbed her hand within your own and looked up into her glistening eyes. 

"I swear it on my life," you assured, face stoic and set with determination. The woman looked at you with grateful eyes, before wrapping you in a warm hug. It was nice, you didn't know how to handle it, but it was nice. 

Later that day, Gon and you boarded the boat. It would be a while until you saw Whale Island again.

Turns out not being seasick during a god awful storm on a shitty, smelly boat got you a pass for the hunter exam. God this world was weird. Or if this was a dream.. ur brain was fucking wild.

Currently, you were in some little, dingy office with the captain, Gon, and two other people you hadn't gotten a close look at yet. 

"Right then, go down the line and tell me all your names," he ordered, voice gruff. He was a plump man with a nose as red as your eyes, and he smelled thickly of smoke. You crinkled your nose. Humans were truly disgusting sometimes.

"My name's Gon!" Your companion called out whilst raising his hand with a big smile. Way to be excited all the time..

"I'm Kurapika," a boy to Gon's left said calmly. His voice was feminine, and quite pretty if you were being honest. You took a good look at him, taking note of his long-ish blonde hair and calm, grey eyes. His outfit was a bit weird but.. he was kinda fine. Way to restore your faith in humanity after smelling the captain..

"I am (y/n)," You announced, dipping your head a bit in respect. 

"The name's Leorio," scoffed a tall, lanky man in a suit to the left of you. You gazed up at him in somewhat awe... man really was tall. He had an unshaven face and messy black hair. Tiny spectacles sat perched on his long nose. He carried an awkward looking suitcase. 

"Good good, now why do you want to become Hunters?" The captain asked with his hands on his hips. 

You blinked a bit in surprise. Geez question two and you already had to leave it blank?? This reminded you....

A splitting pain tore through your skull, as it often did when recalling something from the past, and your eye twitched a bit. A memory.. from.... from school! From school and you were-

"(y/n) are you okay?" Gon whispered, tearing you from the memory as he gripped your hand a bit. You looked down at him and was about to respond when the man next to suddenly had an outburst. 

"Hey hey your not an examiner," The tall man accused. "What's with the first degree!" 

"Just a question, dummy!" The man who smelled of cigars scoffed. 

"Well, because my dad's a hunter!" Gon shared. Your face dropped a bit at the mention of his father, though it was hardly noticeable to anyone.

The captain appeared a bit... frazzled.. by Gon's claim. You found yourself being a bit suspicious. 

"Being a hunter was the most important thing in the world to my dad. I wanna know why! That's why I left Whale Island!" 

Half of you wanted to smack the boy upside the head. The other half adored him too much. 

The big man seemed to realize something in that moment.. like he'd figured it out. Had coming from Whale Island told him all he needed to know?

"Hey, kid!" The tall man interrupted. "You don't have to tell that old guy nothin' !" 

You gave the man a harsh glare but he was either too stupid or too annoyed to notice. 

"But he asked why I'm here! It's not a secret," Gon responded politely. God Aunt Mito taught him well. So sweet, you thought, about to melt. 

"Look, get with the program it's us versus him! And _I'm_ not telling him why I'm here!" He exclaimed, pointing his finger at Gon's forehead. You narrowed your eyes at the contact. 

"Good for you," You said sharply, tugging Gon backwards a bit by the collar of his shirt. 

"I'm afraid I agree with Leorio," The cutie to Gon's left sighed. 

Leorio seemed surprised by this, and then offended. "That's _Mr._ Leorio to you, ya brat! Show a little respect for your elders!" 

You scoffed, rolling your eyes. Truly the two of them were not that distant in age. Leorio may have looked old, but he couldn't be older than his early twenties by the smell of him. Kurapika, on the other hand, was a bit older than he appeared. 

"But why not dodge the question with a plausible lie?" Kurapika answered, ignoring the other comment. You had to agree.. I mean you had planned on lying as well. Was ' I promised to protect this kid so I'm going where he goes' a good enough answer anyway?

"HEY! Are you even listening to me!" Leorio barked. 

You were beginning to get annoyed by his incessant shouting. 

Kurapika ignored him.. again. 

"However, it is quite shameful to rely upon deceit. As for me, I can't reveal my reasons here. I have my share of secrets. They're very personal to me. Which is why i will not be answering your question either."

How.. noble. Oddly so. 

Leorio continued to jab at Kurapika while the attention fell to you. 

"Well, after such a rousing speech I feel it'd be shameful to lie so why not. I'm here to protect Gon. Where he goes, I go. If it means taking some silly test, so be it," You sighed, playing with the hem of your skirt. "Not exactly the best reason but..." You trailed off. 

"Well then, if you two boys have no answers to my questions," the man sighed. "Katso, get ahold of the exam committee. Let em know we got two more dropouts."

Both Leorio and Kurapika let out noises of distress. You found yourself wanting to laugh at the absurdity of it all. 

"Wait what do you mean?" Leorio asked in a voice that was borderline cute. 

"You haven't figured it out eh?" The man said taking a long drag from the pipe. "You see, the Hunter exam has already started."

"WHaT??" 

"There are as many hunter wannabes as there are stars in the sky. The examiners can't test all of em one by one. Gotta weed em out somehow! If you wanna get to the actual exam, I gotta give the go-ahead. So I'll ask you again, why do you two want to be Hunters? Do think carefully before you answer."

Gon turned to Leorio. "Catch all that?" 

You outright snickered as Leorio seethed, eye twitching. 

"You could have told us that sooner.." Leorio grumbled. 

Kurapika closed his eyes, and when he reopened them, he had new found determination glittering in his eyes. 

"I am the sole survivor of the Kurta clan."

The room fell silent, even leorio and gon stopped bickering. 

"Four years ago, my entire clan was murdered by a band of criminals. That is why I wish to become a hunter. To capture the Phantom Troupe."

"Sounds like you want to be a Black List Hunter.. The Phantom Troupe is a class A bounty. Even the most seasoned hunters can't touch them."

You look between the man and the serious teen, head nearly splitting from the pain of your mind trying to force a memory into your consciousness, shoving it's way into your skull. The tone had gotten ominous in meer seconds, and you had a feeling if you let in the thing you were trying to remember, you'd make it ten times worse. 

"Death is not among my fears," Kurapika says honestly. "I only fear that my rage will quell with time."

His eyes flashed red, and the memory broke through.

_Soft sunlight through brown shades._

_Gentle, steady fingers running through your hair._

_Warmth._

_"I love you (y/n)"_

_You lifted your head from your mothers lap, tiny hands keeping you upright as you gave her a sleepy smile._

_"Look at this face!" She cooed, cupping your cheeks that should have been chubby. "How cute my baby is."_

_She crushed your fragile form in a hug and buried her head in your hair._

_You heard her whisper something but.. it was distorted. Cracked. A jumble of nothing._

_Then cold._

_Alone._

_An empty apartment._

_A rainy day._

_Blood._

_So much blood..._

You snapped back into reality. Gon was holding your hands in both of his, calling your name over and over. How long had you been standing there, idle?

Everyone was staring at you, and it appeared not much time had passed at all. 

"Hello," you said stupidly. 

Gon laughed a bit nervously before turning to everyone's nervous faces. "You see, I found (y/n) on Whale Island and she couldn't remember a thing! Sometimes stuff comes back in bits and pieces and she spaces out for a bit!" 

He explained it so peacefully. You were jealous of the girl that got to experience it coming back like that. 

Time resumed, and you heard a bit about how Leorio wanted money, laughed at him being stupid in your head, heard Kurapika diss him, actually smiled, and then when they proceeded to attempt to go upstairs onto the deck of the boat to fight it out, you barked a laugh and said farewell to the cute edgy boy. 

Until you remembered just what exactly had made you recall that memory in the first place. 

His eyes.. they glowed red for just that moment. 

Was it your imagination or.... Was Kurapika a ghoul too??

Were you truly not alone?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if there's any mistakes I'll fix them when I read it over in the morning!!


	4. middling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> some weird shit happens on the way to the exam, and (y/n) shares a story from her old life.

You squinted through the pelting rain at the two men standing across from each other about to duel. They were saying things, but honestly even you couldn't hear it with all this rain and shouting people around you. 

You shoved your way through some people eagerly, Gon and you agreeing silently on helping different objectives as he split from you to give a hand to the poor crew with the ship. Your eyes widened a fraction as you saw Kurapika take out two wooden swords and Leorio take out a knife. 

Uh oh

You suddenly had bigger things to worry about, as a tornado made of water was barreling toward the ship. The boat rocked, and you heard a few screams as crewmembers were tossed around like ragdolls. You held your ground, but suddenly a young man went flying. You watched with wide eyes as he was flung, only to see Gon lunge after him. 

GON?!

Rushing forward with speed that should have been unattainable, you lunged off the boat and grabbed onto gon's feet. You saw that Gon had managed to catch the other guy, and let out a sigh of relief. 

Before realizing you were now falling as well. 

Just as you were about to release your identity to a bunch of random humans, two hands latched onto each of your ankles and hauled the three of you back onto the deck. 

"AK!" The young man cried out as he landed on his ass. 

"oof," you mumbled, before scanning your eyes over Gon. He was uninjured thank god... but a bit too close for comfort.

The young man thanked all of you many times over, and you only nodded in return. However, the almost tragic incident seemed to lighten Kurapika and Leorio's hearts. They forgave each other with no fight. (Humans sure are weird sometimes).

In a sense it was good luck. You honestly wanted to see a good brawl but right now you couldn't risk Kurapika being killed. Not when you were so close to answers... 

You found yourself gazing at the boy. Truly he couldn't be older than you, no? Where had he come from? What 'clan' had been killed anyway? Were there really ghouls that lived in this world. 

You pondered for a bit too long, enough so where Gon found himself trying to nab your attention through arm tugs. 

"My bad, I was just thinking a bit," You said, softening your expression. 

"Well we're almost there! Come look at the city with me!" 

By the time you'd gotten off, the sky had cleared into a brilliant sunny day. You shielded yourself with a slender hand, skirt swooshing in the gentle breeze found by the ocean. 

The other three soon joined you, Gon beaming like a ray of sunshine and the other two with small, pleasant smiles. Everyone approached the map together, you not paying much attention and deciding to look out in your surroundings. It was a small habit from your old life, you supposed. Every sense of yours was always on high alert, being a ghoul in a shitty district, and they had served you well. 

Your time on whale Island certainly dulled a part of your skills. You'd been so comfortably safe for that time. Of course, old habits die hard and you were still as bone-chillingly observant as ever. 

Someone was clearly snooping in on the conversation you were ignoring. You glanced around inconspicuously, trying to pinpoint whoever it was. Maybe you could drag them somewhere and make a quick meal out of them-

"(y/n)-san, are you coming?" 

"hm?" You hummed, tearing your attention away and looking up with curious eyes at Kurapika. His head was tilted back to look at you, the rest of him following Gon who was currently skipping away. You smelt Leorio somewhere behind you, heading in the opposite direction. 

"Ah.. yes. Where is Leorio going?" You asked, starting to walk forward in line with Kurapika. The blond blinked at you and didn't say anything for a moment, and you wondered what you said wrong. 

"Did you zone out for the entire conversation?" he questioned, somewhat amused. You opened your mouth to reply, only to be interrupted by Leorio barreling straight in between you two. 

"YA kNOW I THOUGHT YOU GUYS WOULD BE LONELY WITHOUT ME SO OBVIOUSLY I'M COMING WITH YOU GUYS!" He said unconvincingly. You snorted, blowing a stray strand of hair out of your face. 

These people were definitely interesting, you'd give them that.

The four of you walked and chatted for a while, you staying in the conversation just enough to be considered somebody. You'd never been much of a talker, but it wasn't like that bothered you. A lot of the time, you really enjoyed just sitting back and listening to the chatter while you sat blissfully back and bathed in the company. 

You surprised yourself with how much you enjoyed the two you had recently met. You found Kurapika to be a refreshing glass of classy, respectable and nice and Leorio to be a 3 liter bottle of unintentionally hilariously dumb. 

Gon was as he always was, the cutest damn kid in the world. 

Soon enough you guys wandered through a practically deserted town. Well, not exactly. 

"Why aren't there any people around?? What's going on!" Leorio questioned almost accusingly. 

"There are actually a lot of people around. Around 30 up ahead, and the man who has been following us this whole time," You added calmly.

"WHAT?!"

Suddenly a whole circus troupe of people in odd cloaks walked out of nowhere on a wooden float. You found yourself being extremely confused even though you'd been present the whole interaction. 

"Exciting," an old woman at the center of the float said ominously. 

"E-exciting?" Leorio parroted, confused. 

"Exciting," she agreed. 

"Exciting??" He questioned again. 

You were becoming annoyed. 

"TIME FOR THE EXCITING MULTIPLE CHOICE QUIZ!!!" The lady yelled, startling the four (or should you say five) of you. 

The cloaked people in the float began playing instruments off key and a bird randomly cawed. 

What-

"Let me guess, you all are heading for the cedar on the hill, aren't you?" She said, hitting the nail on the head. "Well theres only one way to get there. You'll have to pass through this town first!"

She began to explain the rules of the small quiz, though you stayed quite quiet the entire exchange. You could smell the cent of the other man getting stronger, and soon heard his footsteps. 

"hurry it up, or I might answer before the rest of you get the chance!" An unfamiliar voice said from behind you. 

"And who the hell are you, huh?" Leorio questioned, ever the defensive one. 

"It's like (y/n)-chan said earlier! He's been following us pretty closely since the port," Gon told him. Leorio looks a bit preturbed. 

"R-really??"

"Yeah, sorry, kid," The stalker shrugged. "Didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help but hear you guys talking."

"He smells like stale cod," you muttered, crinkling your nose. Nobody but Kurapika seemed to hear you, and he gave you a wry smile at your comment. 

"What will you do?" The old lady interrupted. 

"Well he seems eager to me. Let's let him go first," Leorio suggested. He must've eaten some brain food recently cause that was the smartest thing he's said all day. 

The rest of you agreed and stepped back as a cloaked person brought out a stand with a buzzer for the question. 

"here is your question," the lady said, and a man tooted a horn, causing that annoying bird to caw. These were some strange people..

"A group of evil villains has kidnapped your mother and your true love, and you can only save one of them. Choose one for your mother, and two for your true love. Which do you save and which one of them dies."

The boys around you seemed somewhat appalled by the question. 

You however, were now fighting a skull splitting headache. You kept your hands neatly folded in front of you, but your spine went rigid as you fought the urge to grunt in pain. Why was this happening so often now that you had left the comfort of whale island? Why were so many things reminding you of a past you wanted to forget so desperately??

The man hit the buzzer, dragging you from your thoughts. 

"It's number one!" He said confidently, snickering a bit. 

"oh?" the crone smiled, amused. "And what's your reasoning?"  
  


"It's your mom!" He said obviously. "It's not like you can replace your mom. But a lover? You can always find another one."

The bird cawed and she thumbed an exit. "You may pass."

"HEY-" Leorio protested. 

"Looks like the trick is telling the old lady what she wants to hear," The man chuckled. "Adios!" 

Good riddance, stinky. Your nostrils blessed you once he was gone. 

Leorio began ranting and protesting, but in the middle of it all, Kurapika seemed to realize the true answer. You glanced to Gon, who had decided to take a seat to think about it. He looked to be deep in thought, so you decided to leave him be. 

You on the other hand had been too busy repressing your trauma to consider the question seriously. A memory about a situation much like this one..

"leorio-"

"That's enough," the old woman interrupted. "one more word out of you and your disqualified." 

Ah so he had figured it out, eh? Of course the answer had to be some stupid bullshit like "there is no answer"... Some people werent so lucky to not be able to choose. 

"Here is your question!" The trumpet played and the bird cawed before she continued. "Your son and daughter have been kidnapped. You will only be able to rescue one of them. Choose one for your son and two for your daughter."

Leorio seemed to get more angry by the second, but luckily neither him nor Gon said anything. The timer ran out, and Leorio attempted to attack the woman with a stick. You slapped your forehead as Kurapika explained. 

A separate, inconspicuous door creaked open, revealing a tunnel into the mountain. 

"Follow this for two hours and you will reach the lone cedar tree."

"okay... I was not expecting that," leorio said, baffled. 

"There is a couple that live in a small cabin under that tree who will serve as navigators for your jounrey if you live up to their expectations."

You watched as Leorio apologized to the woman for trying to attack her. 

"AWWH!" Gon suddenly whined. "Im stuck! I cant think of a right answer!"

Leorio let out a deep chuckle. "Youve been thinking this whole time!? You can stop now!"

"Why??" gon questioned, cocking his head to the side. 

"Because the quiz is already over," Kurapika sighed with a small smile. No one was immune to gon's cuteness it seemed

"I know that!" Gon assured. "It's just.. what if.. you know? Well what if that really happens to me someday? If two people are in trouble and I can only help one? It wouldn't be right to pick one over the other! Like it or not, it's a choice I may have to make. I just hope.. I can choose the right one."

You sighed, eyes downcast as you remembered fully what such a thing had done to a friend of yours. 

_Kaneki_... how had you forgotten him?

The four of you set out on the path, thanking the woman and waving until she closed the doors. You spoke up for the first time in a while. 

"Would you all like to hear a story?" 

Gon jumped for joy and ran around you in excited circles. 

"You betcha, (y/n)! She tells the coolest stories, guys! Even if she doesn't remember much," gon assured. You felt yourself flush a bit at the compliment, suddenly insecure that it wouldn't live up to expectations. 

"Sure why not," Leorio sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. Kurapika nodded his silent agreement. 

"Well you see... A long time ago there was a friend of mine named Kaneki. It is quite the long story, but in short he got himself wrapped up in some tricky business with some very gross people. I was thirteen at the time, all too young for what went down, and he had gotten kidnapped by a murderer."

There were wide, eager eyes all around as you walked, the only other sound was the four of you's echoing footsteps and the drip of water somewhere far away.

"The man tortured my friend for days. He'd cut his toes and fingers off until there was nothing left over and over. Kaneki had some.. special regeneration abilities," you paraphrased, hoping it made sense. "Everytime they grew back, the man would come back in and agonizingly clip them off again. He beat the poor boy senseless as well. Kaneki was in so much agony he had to retreat to a small space in his mind to keep sane. But then, a couple within the organization came in and started cleaning him of blood. They praised him for how long he had held out, and swore to him they'd rescue him no matter what. Kaneki was delirious with pain, but the kindness kept him going for a while."

Everyone was listening intently, and though at first you'd been a bit nervous to speak, you now were totally immersed in the memory of when your dear friend had told you this. 

"The murderer, however, was no fool. He knew of the betrayal of his subordinates, and when Kaneki regained his consciousness again, the two were bound and gagged, and the crazed man said. 

'A man and a woman, who love each other.. You will choose which one I kill.'

He taunted him relentlessly, and Kaneki was going mad. There was nothing he could do to save them, but when he glanced at the tied up lackey who had tried to help him, he nodded as if to say 'choose me and save my lover'

Kaneki... he couldn't do it. he said, 'if i choose, it would be like i'm the one doing the killing!'. The murderer told him if he could not choose, he'd simply kill them both. He gripped the woman by the throat, and her lover thrashed, desperate for Kaneki to save her. He was panicking too much, and the murderer, driven by his excitement at Kaneki's suffering, crushed the woman's throat straight through. Soon after, he killed the lover. 'It's your fault' he had told Kaneki... 

The stress became too much, and when the murderer left, he retreated back into his mind to escape insanity."

. . . 

"WHAT KIND OF STORY IS THAT, (Y/N ) ??!" Leorio squawked. "WHAT HAPPENED AFTE-"

"Leorio, it was simply a tale pertaining to what we just learned at the quiz back there. An unethical choice, remember?" Kurapika reminded him. 

"Most of the stories (y/n) has told me are true, though! Not just cautionary tales!" Gon corrects, and Kurapika looks a bit baffled. 

"Yes, it was true," you nod, returning to your preference of few words. 

"Well??" Leorio prods. "what happened to Kanooki?" 

" **Kaneki** ," you correct. "And it's much too long for two hours. He did survive to tell the tale, though... but still. It makes me wonder if even silence is a true answer? In Kaneki's case, it ended up haunting him for a while... I pray none of you find yourself in a similar situation."

Everyone solemnly agrees, and it is silent for a few paces until the conversation picks up again, though you don't join in much. 

Instead you remain deep in thought.. wondering about your old life. 


	5. onism

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally make it to the beloved hunter exam and start a new chapter of everyone's lives ! <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't read this over so if theres a lot of mistakes its bc i rushed to get this chapter out at like 2am forgive me T_T 

The four of you trudged along in a damp forest, Leorio complaining about needing to pee the whole way through. You had gotten out of the tunnel not to long ago and the house couldn't be much farther now. Your limbs were starting to get tired.. and if you were being honest you could feel the phantom pangs of hunger in your stomach. You ignored them, but made a mental note that you'd need to eat sometime in the upcoming weeks. 

Speaking of...

You halted, throwing out an arm in front of the rest of them as a sign to stop. You could feel their questioning gazes as you took a few short breathes of air. The downwind current had just blown the scent right towards you.

Blood... and not exactly human blood either. 

"Careful, I smell blood," You murmured, dropping your arm and continuing forward. Your socks were beginning to wet, and you were starting to grow rather agitated. 

"You _SMELL_ it? You sure are weird, (y/n)," Leorio huffed. You gave him a side eyed glance before rolling your eyes. Leorio seemed to question just about everything, it being suspicious or not. If you were being honest, though, he was probably the most normal person in the whole group. Between Gon's unnatural senses and agility for a human, and Kurapika's silent rage and tragic backstory (as well as the possibility he may be a ghoul), Leorio's seemed rather average. Though, his large personality definitely made room for itself. 

"I sure hope everyone is okay," Gon frowned, looking down at his boots. You gave him a soft smile and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. 

"I see the house," Kurapika pointed, gaining everyone's attention. The four of you picked up the pace, hurrying over to the front door. Leorio rapped his knuckles against the wood, only to hear silence. 

"The smell is strong," You muttered, biting your lip and glancing at everyone nervously. Who knows what kind of monster's blood smelled like this. It was so.. pungent. 

"Alright I'm busting it open!" 

"Wait-"

Kurapika's warning was ignored as he pushed open the door, almost falling through it since it was unlocked anyway, and the four of you laid eyes on the scene. A giant, fox like beast standing on it's hind legs over a man with a struggling woman in it's arms. Shattered glass surrounded the floor, the beast must have broken in through the window. 

The beast chuckled, eyes gleaming red as it turned back towards you all. 

"A magical beast!" Leorio said, startled. You blinked, watching with careful eyes. If you were being honest the thing looked a bit silly. You doubted it would be any trouble using your Kagune.... 

But Leorio and Kurapika didn't know about you and they weren't exactly sunshine and rainbows like Gon was. There would be many questions and uneasiness you didn't want to deal with. 

"It's a kiriko," Kurapika narrows his eyes and holds his swords in a fighting stance. "They can take on human form. They're also extremely intelligent."

The woman whimpers a bit in it's hold, and your eyes narrow. 

"It's got a woman!" Gon gasps, concerned as he rears his fishing rod to do something. 

"And the guy on the floor looks like he needs a doctor, bad," Leorio frets. 

You hold out a hand as the Kiriko takes the woman and crashes back out through the window. "Wait, guys-"

Your ignored as Kurapika and Gon rush after it. 

"Leorio! See to his injuries," Kurapika calls out over his shoulder. 

You curse colorfully, but have little doubt Gon will be hurt. Kurapika seems capable enough and Gon himself is pretty agile. You have faith. Turning back to where the man is lying on the floor, Leorio attending him diligently as he cries out for his wife, you sneer in the dark. 

"Leorio back away from him. You can't fool me, creature," You start stalking towards them, lip pulling back from your sharp teeth. "I can smell what you are."

"(Y/n) what are you ta-"

The man turns to face her, expression breaking out in a small smirk. 

"Really? How impressive!" He laughs a bit and shakes off some shards of glass, placing a steady hand on Leorio's chest as he leans to sit up. "I don't think anyone's figured it out that quickly before."

Your face shifts, lips parting in confusion as your eyes blink owlishly. You cock your head to the side. 

"Huh?" You and Leorio squawk in unison. 

About 20 minutes later and all of you are standing outside of the small cabin. Turns out, the couple that was supposed to guide you were two Kirito, and their kids were the one's holding the shape of humans. They ran a scheme much like the other testers to check if you were worthy to go the exam. 

"Mr. Kurapika," says the daughter as the young man in question goes straight as a board. "We made certain we only gave the most vague of hints, but you were still able to pick up on them and determine we weren't actually a married couple. You only caught a glimpse of my tattoos, but you knew that in this region these tattoos are only worn by women who have taken a vow of chastity."

She lifts her sleeve to show the tattoos markered on, and you look between Kurapika and them with a small smile. Smart boy. 

"Kurapika was able to demonstrate vast knowledge. Therefore he passes!" 

Gon beams at Kurapika as everyone sighs in relief. "Way to go Kurapika!" 

"Mr. Leorio," The brother you had revealed said. "You, sir, were never given the chance to figure out I was not who I claimed to be. However, you dressed my wounds more thoroughly than any doctor in the short amount of time. More importantly, you demonstrated empathy and kindess by continueing to assure me my wife would be okay."

Gon and Kurapika smile at him with praise in their faces and Leorio looks embarassed. 

"Your passion makes you worthy of taking the Hunter exam. And so, you pass," The son smiles with a nod. 

"WAIT SERIOUSLY??" Leorio yelps, falling down onto his ass in relief. Gon laughs at his silly overreaction as the attention falls to you. 

"You, Ms. (y/n), were able to figure out almost immediately I was not what I appeared based on smell alone. Your inhuman senses and concern for your friend is not only impressive, but admirable as well. Your ability to assess the situation with clarity and bravery gives you the go ahead." 

Leorio places a large hand on your shoulder in praise, almost sending you flying as you jolt a bit. He grins at ou while kurapika tosses a tentative smile and thumbs up as Gon whoops. You rub behind your neck and blush a bit. 

"Finally, Mr. Gon. Your superhuman physical abilities and powers of observation defy logic. You, too, are worthy of taking the hunter exam!" The husband praises. You glance at your companion and see his eyes are shining with pride. You can't help a smile of your own. 

The beasts fly all of you into a city and the son leads you through markets and alleys to your destination... which is some busted restaurant. It's charming, however, even if it doesn't serve anything you can consume. All these people in one place are starting to rile you up a bit, but you push it down. It's still not something you need to worry about yet. 

The son says some random order which secures you all a room in the back where he smiles, wishes you luck, and leaves you be. 

"Man I really am exctited for that steak combo!" Gon sighs happily as he sinks into his chair at the table. 

"Gon.. that was just a code to get us into the exam," Kurapika chuckles a bit. Gon looks a bit down but it doesn't take long for him to perk back up as the room begins to move. So it's an elevator huh?

You watch the numbers above the door tick by from your seat, hands folded neatly on your lap. Somewhere far away you can hear Leorio and Kurapika arguing about something meaningless, go figure, and you hum a bit as you wait for their bickering to finish. 

The elevator comes to a stop and the rest of your group goes silent. 

  
"Well then," You sigh as you stand up and gather your skirt with you. "Let's see what's waiting."

The door hisses as it opens and you step out into a cave full of participants. Your overwhelmed with the smell all of a sudden, having it revealed out of nowhere making your brain hurt a bit and you grab onto gon's shoulder. He gives you a worried look before looking back out at the other contestants, who give you all a hostile glare before going back to their business. 

"Well they don't seem very friendly," Leorio huffs, hand on his hip. A small, green figure approaches the four of you, causing you to stop in your tracks. 

"Hello! Please take your number badge. Thankyou!" he says animatedly as he holds out a small patch to Leorio. 

He hands one with the number 406 to you last, "Please wear this at all times and be sure not to loose it, okay?" 

You give him an affirmative nod and he waddles away. Jesus... this world is weird. 

"Hey! Don't think I've seen you guys before!" A male voice calls from above. You all glance up to see a plump, tanned man with a large nose and mischievous eyes. Nevertheless, he smiles at the four of you with a wave before hopping down from his seat on a pipe.

"You can tell it's our first time here?" Gon asks curiously, hands on his backpack straps reminding you of your days at school.

"More or less," the man nods. "It's getting easier. This is my 35th attempt so it comes with the territory." He gives a small, nervous laugh that seems nice enough. 

All of your eyes practically pop out of their sockets. "You've tried 35 times?!" The four of you say in unison.

"I guess you could say I'm a hunter exam veteran," he chuckles, his body language relaxed and somewhat lazy. You scan him for a bit, mind wandering to why he is the only one out of all these people to try and talk to you. Who tries 35 times and keeps coming back??

"Anyway if you have any more questions, feel free to ask. I'd be happy to help!" he smiles a little too brightly. "By the way, my name's Tonpa."

"Nice to meet you," exclaims Gon, ever the optomist. "I'm Gon, and this is (y/n), Kurapika, and Leorio!"

You all give rather stiff greetings of acknowledgment, but Tonpa doesn't seemed perturbed. 

"You sure have taken the exam a lot, are you the only one who's done it more than once?" Gon asks curiously. Tonpa begins listing off some other contestants who have tried, but your honestly not too worried. You can tell immediately that everyone here with the exception of beans is human, and if no one really knows what ghouls are they have no chance of killing you. It's a huge relief, and definitely a burden off your shoulders. A part of you worries that if you stay too long in such a hateless world you'll be unprepared and vulnerable when you go back. 

The other part whispers you can't, though try as you may you can't remember why. 

Screams fill the air before you can get too lost in your head, and suddenly you're on high alert. You find the source to be in the middle of a crowd, where a man is panicking as his arms are disappearing into flower petals... what kind of-

Your eyes land on a tall, muscled man in a magicians outfit. His air is pink and purple and slicked back out of his face. His features are menacing, and he looks to be wearing makeup with a star and a teardrop on his cheeks. His smile makes you want to run away and hide forever. 

You find yourself shuddering a bit at the dangerous, creepy vibes he gives off, and then cursing your brain for finding him slightly attractive. 

"My, how unusual," The magician tuts. "Seems this poor mans' arms have turned into flower petals. Now you see them, now you dont," he smirks. You feel the goose bumps prickling on your arms and your hair rising on end and shake your head to be rid of the feeling. 

Everyone is murmuring and giving the two of them space, circling away from the scary clown man. 

"Ah.. Just perfect the psychopath is back again," Tonpa sweats at the sight and you become intrueged. 

"Does that mean he tried last year?" Kurapika asks, just as curious as you. 

Tonpa nods grimly. "Number 44, Hisoka, the magician. He was the number one pick to pass last year until he nearly killed an examiner he didn't approve of."

You blink with wide eyes and a curious expression, unable to take your eyes off of Hisoka's sultry prowl back to where he was standing before the encounter. 

"Then why thE HELL IS HE HERE?!" Leorio squawks, outraged someone like him could be let back in to try again. "They're letting him retake after something like thAT?!"

Tonpa nods grimly and explains how technically they can't ban the strange man because every year the examiners are different and choose how the testing is done. The four of you grimace. 

"I'd keep my distance if I were you," The plump man warns. You don't trust a word out of his mouth, but this... This you can agree on. Even if you are curious. You don't want Gon anywhere near the man. 

"Anywho," Tonpa sighs. "Let's have a toast to friendship. How's some juice??"

Suddenly a drink is being offered to you, though you kindly decline it, pushing it away gently with a smile that isn't exactly friendly. Tonpa takes the hint. Soon enough, Gon is spitting it out anyway. 

"I think these might have gone bad, Mr. Tonpa," he says apologetically. "This tastes funny!"  
  


Kurapika and Leorio pour their drinks out, a bit disheartened as Tonpa sputters out an apology that you don't buy for a second. 

"It's alright! I've tried all kinds of plants and grasses on my island back home, so I can usually taste when somethings bad!" 

"what a talent you have there..!" Tonpa chuckles nervously as he bows his apologies again before making an excuse and wandering off. 

You glare at Gon. "Are you saying you just eat random plants??"

"Yeah!"

"IDIOT!" You whack him upside the head and begin to scold his idiotic behavior while the boy laughs lightheartedly. Kurapika sighs in disapointment and Leorio gives you all a small chuckle. For a moment, the mood is nice and calm if not for you being slightly motherly and over protective about Gon eating random shit he finds. 

Seriously, the boy could be dead right now. 

No time for peace, however, as all attention is directed to the front of the cavern. You stand on your tippy toes to peer over some people, since you really weren't blessed with height. As much as you wanted to be a long legged beauty, you were pretty average for your age and only stood a bit taller than our beloved Gon. 

That aside, this is it. The start of the Hunter exam. 

You hear your stomach grumble and know it's about to be a long few days.


	6. kuebiko

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (y/n) finds out some more information on why Kurapika and Leorio are here, and Killua joins the party!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I'm writing at like 2am so forgive me if there's any mistakes I'll fix them in the morning! Also, I apologize for not updating in a bit school has been hectic and I keep passing out when I get home lol :p I'll try to update more often over the upcoming days

You'd never been much of a runner. 

The last of your memories were from high school, and as expected....

_The Fitness Gram Pacer Test_

This reminded you of it, only you hated this more. Way more. Sure being a ghoul made running a little easier and you were lasting a lot longer than most of the humans, but seriously you just didn't like running. Compared to other ghouls at least, your endurance wasn't very impressive. 

Despite this, you kept in line with Leorio, Gon, and Kurapika, the former sounding like he was having a panic attack. Gon, unsurprisingly, seemed fine, if not perfectly unfazed. Kurapika was as stoic as ever, with impeccable breath control and a solid form despite his unprepared clothing. You were running alright in your small, cottagecore-esque dress and the white, collared blouse you had underneath, but it was getting a little hot and you wish you had gotten the chance to wear the clothes you'd initiallywoke up in. Aunt Mito had washed them and Gon had put them in his small, green backpack so you made a mental note to ask for them later. 

As for now, you were nearing the 3 hour mark and starting to get a bit bored. 

Your ears perked at the sound of wheels on the pavement amongst the hundreds of thundering footsteps and you glanced to the side. A head of fluffy, white hair and cat like eyes rolled into view and you grew quite curious. His hands were stuffed into his grey basketball shorts and he wore an off white v-neck with a deep blue turtleneck undershirt. For a kid who looked about Gon's age, he was quite well dressed. Mad respect. 

You glanced down at his skateboard for a moment, seeing the yellow and red stripe, and smiled gently. You'd tried to skate a bit.. back in your world. It was a faint memory but a pleasant one. 

"Hey kid! How about you show a little respect for the exam!" Leorio seethed, raising his fist like an old man who'd just told off some punks for stepping on his lawn. For a young fellow, he sure did bring up 'respect' a lot. 

"Hm? Whadya' mean?" the boy questioned, voice light and airy. 

"I MEAN quit using a damn skateboard! That's cheating!" 

"And how's that?" the boy asked, still aloof and non aggressive despite Leorio's rising anger. 

"How?!" Leorio echoed, outraged and sweaty. "This is an endurance test, thaT'S HOW!" 

Gon perked up from beside you. "No it's not!" 

Leorio looked back baffled. "What are you on about, Gon?!" 

"The examiner only said we had to follow him," he answered simply. You let out a silent chuckle, noting for a moment that Kurapika had gone ahead before returning back to the conversation at hand. 

"HAH?! Whose side are you on anyway!" Leorio panted. 

The boy on the skateboard let himself fall back away from Leorio and fell in line with Gon and you. 

"Hey, how old are you?" he asked randomly. Despite the weird sentence starter aimed towards Gon, he raised his brows and answered with mild curiosity. 

"12 years old."

You looked between the two and felt a pang of something you couldn't quite explain. It was something you'd never felt before... an odd sense of longing for something you'd never had- never _would_ have. Maybe it reminded you of something from long ago... 

You shook it off as the boy flipped off of the skateboard, grabbing it in his hands with a cool look. "I think I'll run for a little while.."

His voice was calm, but you could hear a tentative, almost nervous edge. It reminded you of yourself. 

"WOAH! Cool!" Gon exclaimed with a wide grin. 

"My names Killua."

"I'm Gon!" 

Killua glanced at you as if just noticing you were there. Not that it fooled you. He'd already assessed you with eyes like a hawk the moment you'd glanced at him out of the corner of your eye. You thought Gon was impressive for a human, but this boy was on a whole 'nother level. 

"This is (y/n)," Gon introduced for you. You gave the cat eyed boy a nod of aknowladgment and continued on foreword. The two boys started light conversation that you simply listened to, drifting off a bit and singing a song in your head to keep you company. 

Soon enough you noticed that Leorio had fallen back a bit.. a bit too much. You sighed, wondering if this would be the end for him after all. It was a shame, really, you rather liked his scathing attitude, even if it was unpleasant at times. Your group really did need a loud one. 

Gon slowed, and then stopped running, glancing back at Leorio who had also come to a shuddering stop. His hands were clamped to his knees as he let our quick, labored breaths. His suit case was forgotten on the ground a bit behind him. 

"Hey, leave him be. Let's go," Killua reasoned. You were about to nod and comply, but you glanced over Gon, whose eyes were hard with glittering determination as they peered right into Leorio's soul. It was the kind of look you could feel. 

There was a few moments of just unsteady breaths before Leorio started madly sprinting forward, arms taught as he yelled at the top of his lungs. 

"IM BECOMING A HUNTER! NO MATTER WHAAATTTT!"

You watched him run off into the crowd and smiled a bit. Gon snatched Leorio's suitcase with a swing of his fishing rod, and Killua's eyes lit up in surprise. 

You snorted at the display of childish adolescent wonder and turned to start running again. You hoped to catch up with Kurapika.. seeing as you had a very important topic to discuss.

Something in your heart told you to trust Killua, enough so to leave him with Gon and speed ahead to find Leorio and Kurapika. 

You found the two of them quite easily, Leorio with his shirt off running with a tense form and Kurapika as elegantly normal as ever. 

"hey," you called out as you came up in between them, just to notify them of your presence. 

"Hello, (y/n)," Kurapika greeted. Leorio let out a loud, animalistic grunt of acknowledgment and kept on running. You smiled at that. 

"Kurapika.. If you don't mind me asking," you started a bit hesitantly. ".. What are you?"

His entire body tensed up, and you winced internally as you knew you'd struck a nerve. 

"What do you mean by that (y/n)?" He gritted out, eyes keeping forward. You swallowed a bit and tried to pretend Leorio wasn't listening quite intently. 

"Well... I mean," You glanced up a bit as you were trying to find the best way to word it. "your eyes.. On the ship they-"

"The Scarlet Eyes," he lamented, and when you looked over he was glaring at the ground. "That's why the Kurta clan was targeted."

You raised your brows and Leorio tensed next to you at the information. The air around you guys seemed to thicken..

"Scarlet Eyes are a trait only possessed by the Kurta. When our emotions are heightened, the color of our eyes will change, taking on a brilliant shade of scarlet. In that state, the color of our eyes is considered one of the seven most beautiful colors in the world, so they command a hefty price on the black market."

"I see.." you said, eyes downcast. You felt awful for the poor boy. Truly he was no older than you. How old had he been when this had happened to him? You sympathized, especially considering your Kagune were a special commodity as is. Your life in general was...

Still it didn't stop you from being slightly disapointed that your kind did not exist here. It would have made things a lot easier if Kurapika was a ghoul. Humans scents in this world were a little too jumbled to tell for sure what they are, and Kurapika having this special trait confused your nose even more. Still, it had been a small hope you had clung to. Now you truly were alone. 

"So that's why the Phantom Troupe attacked you? Your eyes?" Leorio asked, voice small. 

"They plucked the eyes from each of my brethren's corpses. Not a single one escaped desecration. Even now I can hear them, the anguished screams of their darkened eyes," Kurapika closed his eyes for a breath. "I swear on my life I will capture the phantom troupe. Once I do, I'll avenge my clan by taking back their eyes."

"That's why you want to be a Hunter?"

"That's right. If I become a contract Hunter with a wealthy clientele, I'll have access to black market information," Kurapika nodded. 

"But you'll have to be the kind of Hunter you hate," Leorio pointed out. "Think you'll be able to swallow your pride when you need to?"

"The blow to my pride is nothing. Not when compared to my clan's suffering."

There was no sound between the three of you except breathing and your shoes hitting the pavement. 

"Well Leorio... what about you? I'm sorry but you just don't seem like the money mongering type. Trust me I've met a lot of that breed," You prodded. He was quiet for a while. 

"It's not like I have some noble cause like Kurapika," he laughed bitterly. "The only thing I'm after is money!"

Kurapika scoffed irritatedly. "That's not true."

"Yes it is!" He bit back.

"Do you really think that money can buy you everything?? Be honest.." 

"Damn right I do! For the right price, you can buy treasures, dreams, hearts, even people's lives!" 

You raised your brows but couldn't deny that he was right. Kurapika seemed to take it the wrong way, however. 

"Take that back Leorio! I will not stand here and allow you to insult the Kurta," he glared at Leorio, who only sighed. 

"Kurapika, I don't think he meant it like th-"

"Why?? It's the truth isn't it?! If I had money, my friend would still be alive today!" 

Kurapika choked back a gasp while you looked dejectedly at the ground. Somehow you'd known you had surrounded yourself with fellow traumatized people. You all tended to flock together, you supposed. 

Leorio turned away with a scowl, almost embarrassed at his outburst. 

"... Was he ill?" Kurapika asked, voice gentler than it had been in a while.

"Yeah.. and it was curable too. The problem was the operation cost a fortune... I was naive. I thought I could grow up and become a Doctor and cure kids with the same problem, then tell their parents they owed me nothing! That it was free of charge! That was my dream..." He growled angrily. "Pretty good joke, right? Turns out to become a doctor, you already need to have an obscene amount of money. Get it now, the whole world runs on this shit! So I'm gonna get as much as I can!"

Kurapika offered a small smile and you glared at the floor. 

"Hey (y/n), what's your sob story-"

Leorio was interrupted by Gon and Killua catching up to the three of you and coming in on Leorio's right. 

"See ya at the finish line!" Gon exclaimed. 

"Yeah catch ya later old man!" Killua teased Leorio. 

"HEY I'M NOT OLD! CAN'T YOU TELL IM A TEENAGER JUST LIKE YOU!"

The rest of your group went silent in shock, and you let out a large, genuine laugh at the sight.

"(y/n).. I don't think I've ever heard you laugh like that," Kurapika noted, giving you a smile. 

For the first time in a long time, your stomach fluttered and you felt your face heat up bright pink. 

"O-oh uhm.." You looked away embarrassed and focused on your running. 

_Stop that,_ You scolded yourself, mentally slapping both of your flushed cheeks. You shook your head to get the startling thoughts out and ignored the nervous feeling in your stomach. 

After that, Gon and Killua made some sort of deal to go out to dinner and raced ahead at alarming speeds. You sighed reluctantly, happy that Gon had made a friend his age.

"As I was questioning before we were so RUDELY interrupted," leorio pointedly glares at Gon and Killua's retreating forms. "Why are you really here (y/n)? Gon mentioned you don't remember much, right?"

You sighed, knowing you'd have to explain in more detail sooner or later. 

"My first memory of being here, I had awoken in a flower field. I can't remember what happened just before that, but I remember feeling panicked and confused when I awoke. I wandered into a market in search of food, and then.. Gon bumped into me and asked me if I was alright. I had had blood all over me, and he took me back to his home where his aunt and grandmother let me stay. My memories of my old life are fleeting and.. as much as I am here with the intention of keeping Gon safe for his Aunt, I am also hoping I might find answers. Why was I in that flower field, and what happened before?" You sighed. "That's all really. Not very interesting... although what I remember from before is nothing like this world. I was thinking I might be from somewhere... somewhere very far away."

"I hope you find what you're looking for," Kurapika nods and Leorio gives a soft grunt of agreement. 

"I think.. that's the end of the tunnel!" You say excitedly, a new skip in your step. 

The three of you exit into a humid, marsh looking area and you allow yourself to collapse onto your but to breathe for a moment. 

"HEY (Y/N!)" 

You open your eyes and look at Gon's shining face as he leans over you. You don't hear him, but you can smell Killua approach as well and look down at you with an unreadable expression. 

"Killua and I tied so now you're gonna pay for our lunch instead!" 

"HEY WHAT?!" 

You shoot up, only to smack your head into Gon's, whose skull happens to be thick as a rock. You seethe and rub your head, sulking as Gon laughs. 

"Just kidding!" 

Killua is smiling now (at your pain of course). How.. cute. You don't mind the new addition to your little circle. 

The last of the people come out of the tunnel, and the door shuts on a desperate man trying to crawl through. The examiner, Satotz, turned to all of you, explaining the marsh and it's weird creatures that will try to trick you, only to be interrupted. 

"He's not the real examiner! I AM!" 

The random, bloody man held up something he called a 'man faced ape' that lures humans and tries to eat them. It had Satotz's face on it. 

You saw through the deception just fine, seeing as your nose gives away who people are. Leorio, however, is easily swayed with a bunch of other contestants. Just when it seems like you might have to step in and stop Leorio's train of thought, playing cards whip past your face. 

Your eyes went wide as you feel the quick breeze that brushes your hair and skin gently, stumbling back as you watched the cards imbed themselves into the fake. He teeters over, dead, and the man faced ape quickly scurried away. 

You turned to see Satotz had caught the cards thrown at him, and then looked at the culprit. 

Hisoka..

You feel the hair on the back of your neck stand up again. His pretty face and the aura clash awfully well. You really should do your best to keep away from him for as long as possible. 

"The examiners are hand picked by the Hunter organization, and they would surely be skilled enough to catch such an easy attack. Therefore, he is the real examiner," Hisoka smiles, voice smooth and flattering. 

Satotz warned him not to attack again or he'd be disqualified. You, however, kept your eyes trained on the dangerous man. Why would someone like him be taking the Hunter exam? He surely looked like one of the weirdest here (or at least he stands out the most). He must've been almost a foot taller than you, making him easier to pick out in a crowd. There was another man who stood out as well, one with pins in his face and an ugly tuft of purple hair. When he walked he made awful clicking noises like you imagined a robot would. 

"(y/n)... (Y/N)?? (Y/N) !!" 

"wha?" you look around, coming back to earth. 

Leorio had been shaking your shoulders for a good 30 seconds, and lets go when he sees your aloof look back. 

"Thanks for joining us again, brat," he rolls his eyes. 

"Your face was getting this scary look," Gon giggled a little and you scoff. 

"Come on guys, Satotz said to follow him," Kurapika tilts his head in the direction of your examiner, and the five of you start jogging. 

You prayed it would be as uneventful as your tunnel ride, but know it's in vain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rlly appreciate all the support I've been receiving and the comments are always fun to read!! Thankyou all for enjoying <3


	7. Opia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Encounter with hisoka and sky diving for eggs!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for being gone for so long I had lots of school lol I tried to make up for it by making this chapter a bit longer than usual <3

This god forsaken exam was starting to get on your nerves a bit. 

All the while you'd mostly been indifferent, sure you hated running but you also got to have some meaningful conversations you wouldn't exchange for the world. This, however, was just cruel. 

You'd quickly been separated from Gon and Killua, found Leorio and Kurapika, almost got eaten by some crazy animals you'd never even heard of...

And now?

Now you were face to face with that terrifying magician. 

The one you'd strictly meant to stay away from. 

You arrived on the scene with the two of them a bit late to the party, seeing as Hisoka was practically grooming himself of blood with a bunch of dead contestants flopped around him. He flicked the blood off his playing card, before he looked over and stared dead into your eyes. 

All attempt to keep the slight panic off your face was null and void. This man was dangerous, you could feel it in your gut like a pit of deep anxiety. The waves of aggression rolled off him in waves. It felt like you were drowning in an overwhelming pressure, warning signs going off in your brain left and right. 

_Ding Ding Ding-_

"Well?" He purred, and your hands began to tremble. "How about you three? Care to play examiner?"

You swallowed the lump in your throat, not daring to take your eyes away from the man as he turned to stalk towards the three of you. Your limbs tensed, and you wondered if your Kagune would be strong enough to fight him off seeing as how you hadn't eaten in so long...

Fuck fuck fuck. If worse came to worse you'd just have to eat one of them right? Just a nibble off someone's shoulder they wouldn't need to _die!_ Really though it'd be better if you could get out of this without revealing yourself. Hisoka was not the type of person you wanted knowing who you were. 

"Leorio, (y/n)," Kurapika muttered under his breath. "Listen closely. On the count of three, we all run in opposite directions."

Yes yes good plan Kurapika. No fighting... just more goddamn running. 

Leorio began to protest but Kurapika shut him down. 

"There's no way we're winning against him, even with three of us. Our best bet is to run for it. We don't have enough time for a losing battle!"

Leorio didn't respond, only tensing and gritting his teeth as Hisoka stalked closer, and _closer._

A card slid out from between his knuckles into his awaiting fingers, fast as anything you'd ever seen. 

Would he just let the three of you run away?? What if he went after Leorio, seeing as he was the obvious weak link. Or kurapika since he was the smaller male or-

Or you. 

"NOW!" 

With a shuddering breath you turned on your heels and booked it back into the cover of the woods, Leorio and Kurapika going off to your right and left. There hadn't been many occasions in your life when you _weren't_ running like a silly little rabbit from someone else. Sure, you technically were a predator yourself, but it never _really_ felt like that. Humans were to intelligent to just let themselves be eaten. _Of course_ it wasn't that easy. So keen on revenge, on killing you before you could even attack, on mutilating your bodies into weapons...

The fact of the matter is you had no idea what humans here were like. Hisoka may not have a quinque of his own but that awful, sickening feeling he gave you was enough to send you packing. 

You shook your head and ignored the thoughts of your cowardice and everything else except your own wild breathes and the snap of branches across your face. You had to find Gon! 

That's why you were here, wasn't it? Protecting that adorable little boy was your main purpose here. You sniffed the air in search of him.. and then your pace slowed. 

You turned back towards that clearing not so far away. 

Gon's scent. 

It was right over there. 

Back with Hisokas... _And_ Leorio's.

"Shit..!" 

Your heart pounded in your chest like a snare drum about to tear right through the middle and bile rose through your throat at the thought of it as you ran back through the leaves with far more determination. Your legs were sloppy, and you tripped a few times on overgrown roots that rose up from the ground to meet your ankles. The mere thought of having to go back to Aunt Mito... To tell her you _failed_..

It made you feel like puking. 

You bounded back into the clearing, the sight before you making you see red. 

Hisokas pale hand clutched around Gon's throat, the boy prying at it with his hands as he struggled to breathe. 

You grit your teeth until you feel like your about to grind them into dust, hands clenched so hard they're shaking from a very different feeling then before as you come to a screeching halt. Hisoka's bemused gaze lands on your rage filled form. 

"Drop him," You said quietly, voice hoarse from panting. 

"Oh?" Is Hisoka's only response. 

His hand tightened around Gon's neck for a split second before relaxing. Gon heaved a bit as he crumpled to his knees on the ground. 

Hisoka's full attention now on you, he sauntered over, lazy, as if he hadn't just strangled the life out of some poor kid with the most twisted expression on his handsome face. Your body is too frightened to move now that that awful pressure is back, and you found yourself trembling against it with pure anger. Your knees buckle and you collapse onto the grass. 

Your angry eyes watched his boots step right in front of your hands. You peered up at him against your better judgement, face flushed in hot, angry embarrassment at falling over and not being able to rise up again. You felt Gon's desperate eyes on you, but don't take your gaze off of Hisoka's sultry smile. 

He bent down and clutched your chin in between one hand, tilting it up towards him and squishing your cheeks together, much to his amusement.

"My, my, what pretty eyes you have, dear," he said, voice a lovely collage of deep vibrations that made you tremble even harder. You guessed that your eyes were in their ghoullish state since you were hungry and furious which didn't surprise you, but you honestly didn't have much time to think about the consequences of the display. You refused to become a pile of scared mush like he wanted, and refused to let Gon see you like that. You hardened your glare and your lips pulled back from your teeth as you struggled against his grip on your face. He chuckled, like he was the ghoul, and dropped you back onto the marsh.

You catch yourself on your palms before you can face plant into wet dirt and pant for a moment, head hanging low and hair obscuring your face. _Come on..._ you urged, _Get a grip!_

"And what did you say your name was?" He questioned like you were friends. 

You didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing anything about you and mustered an angry, guttural growl from within your throat. 

"I see then," he sighed with mock offense. The sound of a phone ringing filled the clearing and when it stopped a voice replaced it. You didn't recognize it, or even care about the exchange, but you glanced up and looked between the messy strands of hair at the sound of a body being picked up. 

_Leorio._

You hadn't even noticed him in all the stress, you noted with guilt. He wasn't dead, from Gon's expression (since Gon only looked shocked and terrified), but still it was odd to see such a terrifying man lug another of the same size over his shoulder. 

"I trust you two can find your own way back?"

Gon gave a silent nod, mouth parted slightly in wonder, or maybe horror as you continued to tiredly glare in the mans direction. 

"Good~" he purred, and stalked off into the forest. 

After a breath of silence you silently got up and wandered over to a trembling Gon, offering him a hand. He gladly accepted. 

"Are you okay, (y/n)?? Your.. Your eyes are.." He looked up at you with worry and put a warm hand on your arm. 

"I'm alright," you said, offering a small, unconvincing smile. "It should go away on it's own soon."

Yeah, _maybe_. It depended entirely on if it was based more on your anger or hunger. You didn't feel starving, but your stomach was definitely grumbling more frequently lately. 

You closed your eyes to calm your nerves, holding Gon's precious hands in your own. 

"GON! (Y/N)!" ARE YOU GUYS OKAY?!" 

You slowly opened your eyes, feeling a bit more at ease. Gon's brighter expression told you they were back to normal.

"We're alright," you said softly. 

"Yeah!" Gon smiled at the sight of the blonde boy who slowed to a stop as he approached. "Come on we should get going before the first stage is over!" 

You let Gon's nose guide the three of you back to the main group just in the nick of time.

"Where's Leorio??" Gon thought aloud as he glanced through the sea of meandering applicants waiting for their next orders. 

You looked around too, until you felt the hairs on your neck stand up. You tensed, looking around for the source, only to pinpoint Hisoka wearing a carefree smile. You remained expressionless as he pointed to where dazed Leorio was plopped down against a tree. 

"Over there," you pointed him out to Gon and Kurapika. 

"Damn my face hurts.. how the hell did I get beat up so badly?? My memories so hazy..." He mumbled to himself when he noticed you guys. You all looked between each other and silently agreed not to tell him, lest he attempt to fight the man again. You were not so keen on a rematch despite not having fought him.

"Gon!" 

"Killua!" Gon grinnned. The four of you turned to see the cat-like boy casually walking up. You'd been wondering where he wandered off to. Unlike Gon, Killua had an air about him that distinctly said 'I can take care of myself', and you found yourself not worrying too much. 

"I was starting to think you three weren't gonna make it here," killua chuckled. 

"I just tracked Leorio's cologne!" Gon informed casually. 

"You tracked his scent?!" the boy asked incredulously. 

"Yeah it's got a really distinct smell!"

"Man you sure are weird, Gon.." Killua deadpanned. 

"I think all of you are quite strange," you butted in. "Nevermind Gon's sense of smell."

"What's that supposed to mean-?!"

"Congrats on making it to the second phase which is beyond these gates! I shall now take my leave. I wish you all the best of luck," Interrupted Satotz as he stood in front of the now smaller cluster of you all. The two hundred or so of you watched as he disappeared into the forest with that odd walk of his.

Your attention was drawn back to the giant gate as it creaked open, revealing a sprawling, manicured courtyard out in front of a mansion. 

"All applicants who passed the first phase please enter!" Called out a woman's voice. 

The examiners tentatively walked through the gate. 

"Welcome all!" The woman wore an unusual outfit and hairstyle you found quite cool and behind her and her chair was a large, plump man. " I'm your second phase examiner, Menchi."

"I'm the other examiner, Buharra!" 

They both had pleasant tones and expressions and seemed much warmer than Satotz had, not that he had seemed mean or anything. They just seemed more.. human. 

"The second phase will be cooking!" 

There was angry murmurs all around you from the other contestants. You just sighed a bit. You honestly didn't know how you would pass this one. Since you had no concept of what human food was supposed to taste like because it all tasted absolutely volatile to your ghoul senses, it didn't make you the best human cook. You supposed you could just do what you'd seen cooking shows do and hope for the best...

"The special ingredient will be pork!" She declared after a bit of hassling from the contestants. The gates opened back up and you supposed now you were supposed to go find pigs. 

You sighed. You supposed this is where you would say 'Yare Yare'.

Nevermind the pigs were easy to take care of after you figured them out. You ended up throwing your shoe at it's head and it dropped dead. They were surprisingly light as well so carrying them back was a bit awkward if anything. 

Then came preparing them... you really had no idea where to start. You tried to remember anatomy and what parts of animals your supposed to eat... but everyone around you seemed to be roasting theirs. 

"Say do you know how to cook?" You leaned over to Killua who was in the station next to yours. 

He looked at you and scoffed. "Not for the life of me. I had butlers cook my meals so I never even saw how to do it!"

You sighed wistfully. "Seems like we're both in a load of shit."

He nodded in agreement, when suddenly you got an idea. 

"What if... now here me out... we poison the meat? eh?? _EHH_??"

He stared at you for a moment and you thought he'd just walk away, but instead his face twisted into a mischievous, sinister grin.

"Oh I'm so on it-"

"WAIT I DIDNT-"

Yeah you both failed. Actually, _everyone_ failed. 

It made you feel a bit better about your charred slab of meat. 

The other examiners almost staged a coup, except your examiner happened to have a bunch of knives and be extremely threatening. The fat dude even whacked some other fat dude into the sky. It was a real blur... you weren't paying much attention.

A shadow suddenly cast over you all, and you heard menchi sigh as if she knew what was about to happen. 

A bearded old man in traditional japanese robes and wooden sandals fell from the sky and landed with a sickening boom, filling the entire area with dust. 

Impressed, you watched as he walked up to Menchi. 

"Hey who's this old man?!" someone asked. 

"This is the head of the exam committee. He's also in charge of hunter exam. Chairman Netero."

"Ooh I just work behind the scenes," he chuckled. "It's not all that impressive."

Despite his disarming appearance, you could sense something.. powerful about him. It wasn't in the same way Hisoka was... his presence held a more peaceful, enlightened vibe than Hisoka's murderous one. That didn't exactly put you at ease, but you didn't feel in immediate danger either. 

You noticed Hisoka eyeing the man with particular interest as well. 

"Now, dear Menchi, it's come to my attention you've decided to fail all this years applicants.. Is this because of their lack of willingness to challenge the unknown-"

"No, sir," she sighed as if she was already over her earlier knife throwing anger. "I snapped when one of the applicants insulted Gourmet hunters and made the exam way harder than it needed to be... I'm afraid I'm not qualified to be the examiner this year-"

"I doubt we can find a new examiner in such short notice! How about you continue serving as examiner, but you participate alongside the applicants in whatever new test you choose? How does that sound?" 

"Hmm..." The woman thought for a moment before lighting up. "I have just the thing for a new challenge... we'll all be making boiled eggs! Say, do you think you could give us a ride to split mountain?"

"Split mountain? Ohhh I see, yes of course!"

The ride in the airship was short and unexciting since it only took about 15 minutes to reach the designated area. The mountain was as described, you noted, as you all stepped out. It was a large, flattened mountain with a huge chasm cracking down the middle. 

You and some of the other braver examiners leaned down over the edge to peer into it, only to see a vast mess of webs and large egg sacks. How the hell were humans supposed to get down there and grab those??

"Hey those are-" killua seemed to recognize them. 

"Those are spider eagle eggs!" Menchi affirmed. 

"They build their webs in deep ravines like this one. It protects their eggs from predators. They're one of the most difficult ingredients to obtain. They're commonly known as dream eggs."

Menchi launched herself into the pit quite gracefully a few moments later, and you watched excitedly as she grabbed onto one of the webs on her way down and swung there for a moment. She waited, and you couldn't tell what for until she suddenly unlatched herself, grabbing an egg on the way down, and then floated back up on the wind drafts within the ravine. You smiled in understanding, thrilled to try for yourself. You don't know what it is, but you loved adrenaline boosting situations like this. Fighting scary people? not so much. Doing wildly reckless things of your own free will? Absolutely. It made you feel alive in a way you expected a normal teenager would when they snuck out at night to hang with their friends or smoked for the first time in secret. You remembered chasing that feeling in your 'old life' in between horrible moments for some escapism. 

"That looks so fun!" Killua exclaimed while Gon laughed in absolute glee. 

"Agreed!" You looked at Menchi, who landed back perfectly on her feet, with an amazed grin. 

"Come on!" You laughed and your new friends doubted they had ever seen you so happy as you spread your arms wide and let yourself fall backwards. 

"Wait up (y/n)!" Gon called out, Leorio letting out a whoop as the rest of your group joined in the freefall. 

You easily latched onto a hanging thread leting yourself hang as you waited until everyone else came down. Kurapika hung to your left and Gon to your right, and you felt giddy despite the imminent blackness underneath your dangling feet. 

"So.. How's everyone's day going?" You asked, silly. 

Kurapika laughed wholeheartedly and gon smiled bright. "(y/n) this is the most happy I've ever seen you."

You looked at Gon, expression softening from the earlier happiness into something more tranquil as you waited there in this weird position. 

"I suppose it is," you said. 

"Alright... NOW!" 

You and the rest of the applicants dropped into a freefall, not before grabbing an egg of course, and you appreciated the rushing wind through your soft locks, flushing your face, before it rushed against you full force and lifted you up all the way back over the edge of the mountain. 

Landing gracefully on your but you let yourself fall back onto the ground, arms around the egg as you just smiled at the open sky. 

You really needed that, honestly. 

The eggs were well worth it for some people, and sense you didn't like the idea of spider eggs and aLSO couldn't eat it if you wanted to, you offered yours to Menchi as a apology for your awful pork earlier. 

By the time you'd all boarded the airship in search of the third stage, you had almost all but forgot your stressful encounter with the hot, terrifying magician. 


	8. adronitis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (y/n) has some trouble on the airship with controlling her hunger..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short little chapter I whipped up last minute :D hope ya'll like it it's kinda tEnSe ~

The airship was like nothing you'd ever seen before. Since you'd never left Japan in your old life, you'd never been on a plane before. You wondered if planes were as nice as this. 

You and the rest of the contestants were told that you could rest for now, and that there would be a buffet. The estimated arrival time was about 8 the next morning. The first time on the airship they'd kept you in this room only, but since it was going to be longer... Maybe some exploring would be nice. 

Gon and Killua left the room in a rush of boyish laughs and you smiled after them. You supposed giving Gon and Killua some alone time without you butting in was necessary, and doubted much harm would befall them in a place where the exam was at a standstill. 

You walked on Leorio's right with Kurapika on his left to find a place to lay down, mind wandering to your next meal.

"How many more phases do you think there are in the exam?" Kurapika pondered to you two. You offered a nonchalant shrug. Couldn't be many more, especially since contestants were dropping like flies. 

"Huh.. Yeah they haven't said, have they?" Leorio stopped in his tracks to wonder aloud as well.

"As long as I've been doing this, they've averaged around five or six!" A cheerful, wholly unwelcome voice piped up. You side eyed the chubby man who you hadn't really seen since arriving and wanted to roll your eyes. 

"Which means we've still got another three or four left to go," Leorio grumbled, sounding exhausted. 

"In that case, we should get some rest now, while we still can," Kurapika inputted. You nodded eagerly, finding yourself in need of a moment to just sit for some time. 

"That's the best thing you've said since I met you," you sighed, cracking your neck to the side as the three of you turned to walk towards where some of the other applicants were heading. 

"Okay, but I'd be careful if I were you," Tonpa warned. You really did roll your eyes this time, but Kurapika and Leorio stopped and turned again. 

"You heard the secretary right? He said only when we were arriving, nothing about if the third phase wasn't going to be right on the ship! We'll be notified, but who knows if that'll be at eight or not?!"

"Hold on, are you serious?"

"I.. suppose that makes sense."

You looked between your two companions in sleepy silence. 

"You might wake up and find the exam already took place, and that you slept right through it! If you wanna make it to the next phase, you better not let your guard down. Even up here," Tonpa said, but the more you examined his expression, the more this all seemed like bullshit. You were too hungry for this. 

"C'mon, gimme a break," Leorio groaned, although you couldn't tell if he was talking about Tonpa or the exam in general. He sighed. "Well, thanks for the advice. See ya later."

"Have a nice evening," you bowed a little, mind wandering.

_I should eat him._

You slapped your cheeks lightly and shook your head. Eating someone during a time of peace would be bad... They'd find his body and lead an investigation, put you in Hunter jail or something. 

You glanced over at Kurapika as the three of you walked, you lagging a little behind the two of them as they chatted about something you had no interest in. Kurapika smelled.. really good. Like mouth watering. Why hadn't you noticed such a detail before? Maybe it was the fact that you'd been so suspicious if he was one of your own. Either way, you found yourself flooded with thoughts of eating. 

A whole ship of humans, _just for you._

"(y/n) are you alright?" 

"Hm?" You looked up with confused eyes at a concerned Leorio. 

"You've got this.. really disturbed look on your face. Did you remember something?" 

"oh. No I was just... thinking," you said thoughtfully. Leorio nodded in understanding and the three of you entered a room where some other people were sleeping. Kurapika gave you an unconvinced look you didn't quite catch. 

The three of you sat down, leaning against the wall, and Kurapika put on his thinking face while you buried your head into your knees. Maybe now would be a good time to go ask Gon for your change of clothes. Sleeping in this dress and maybe having to fight in it later didn't seem like something you were very keen on trying.. you also imagined that if you were to stay in a room with so many humans for much longer, you might go mad. 

Leorio's loud snores filled the room in a few short moments, and you cracked a small smile that Kurapika returned. You rose quietly after a minute or two, dusting off your dress and turning to the blonde. 

"I'm going for a short walk," You informed, and Kurapika nodded, and you turned before you could catch his suspicious look. 

"Be careful," he warned right before you slipped out. 

You closed the door and let out a deep breath, standing there with half lidded eyes. Self control was a virtue, one you didn't really possess. 

Just wait a little longer... You needed the right opportunity. You could wait... _you could wait._

You tracked Gon's scent despite your hypersensitive nose alerting you there was food everywhere and that you shouldn't be looking for one specific person. You ignored this tidbit. Turning the corner you found the two boys leaning up against the glass and admiring the view. Killua tensed up a bit at your presence. 

"Hello," you said as they turned to you. Gon's face lit up. 

"Hey (y/n)!" Gon greeted cheerfully. "What's up?"

"Can I borrow your backpack? I'd like to change into my.. my other clothes."

"Oh yeah sure!" He handed you the bag and you took it gratefully. 

"Don't stay up too late, alright? I don't need you passing out in the middle of the exam," you scolded, and for a moment you felt sort of motherly. Yeah.. if mothers were on the verge of eating your child's friends. 

"I won't," Gon promised, but then his expression darkened and he frowned. "Hey have you been eating (y/n)? You look a little thin. You're paler too!"

You felt Killua's eyes examine you a little closer, and nearly broke out in a nervous sweat. "Of course, I had some food earlier at the buffet. I'm just really tired...I'll see you boys later, okay?"

Gon nodded wordlessly as you turned to find an empty room to go change in. You focused more on your breathing for the time being. Your self control was beginning to crumble. 

Maybe you just.. needed to sit down for a moment. Yeah.. that was it. 

You let yourself collapse near the wall, focusing on steadying your breathing. This was such a bad time to be freaking out.. you should have just eaten someone when you'd gotten lost in the swamp. Nobody would have even noticed... 

_Fuck._

"Come on get a grip," you chastised yourself. Your knuckles went white as you clenched Gon's bag tighter. Shit shit shit shit-

"...(y/n)?" 

Your head whipped upwards toward the voice you knew all too well, a delicious scent attacking your senses. You bit your tongue as your wide eyes met Kurapika's concerned grey's. 

"H-hey," he took a hesitant step forwards without taking his eyes off of yours. "Your eyes, they-"

You snapped when he got too close. 

One moment he was walking over concerned, the next you'd pounced on him, knocking him to the floor as you pinned down his arms by the wrist.

He let out a grunt in surprise when you tackled him, trying to struggle against your grip but it was no use. You said nothing, eyes panicked and wide as you looked into his confused face. 

_Eat him, come on just a bite just a bite jUST A BITE-  
_

"(y/n), what are you doing??" Kurapika asked nervously, and part of you wondered how long you'd been staring at him with labored breathing. 

Your jaws unhinged on their own accord, hot breath fanning his face, only for you to bite hard down on your lip and shake your head in an attempt to rid yourself of these awful thoughts. 

You allowed your trembling hands to graze over his jaw, cupping his face, to which he only watched you with intense curiosity, before you buried your head into the side of his neck. 

_Idiot..._ you thought, shaking, _You should push me off. Please.. Please push me off._

He did no such thing, and you fell flush against him as you allowed yourself to breathe his scent in deep. This would have to be enough for now.. please let this be enough. 

You felt him squirm underneath you and his skin heated up. A hand tapped the side of your waist.

"U-uhm," he struggled for the words you hardly had the mental capacity to listen to at the moment. "What- What's happening?"

You paused for a moment before you let out a shaky breath and reluctantly untangled yourself from the boy, rising up back to your feet. He hoisted himself up on his elbows to look at you with wide, confused eyes. 

"I.. need to go. Please forget about this," You mumbled, gathering the bag back into your arms and rushing away. 

Kurapika heard your footsteps disappear down the hallway, not that they were very loud in the first place. Everything about you was a mystery, light and airy. He put a tentative hand to his neck and fought a flush of pink. 

What in the world..?

Meanwhile you were racing down the empty halls of the darkened airship, mind racing as what you had just done finally sunk in. How were you supposed to even look at him after that?! Would he ask about it? He saw your eyes, right? He mentioned them! God you were in such deep shit-

You slid open a random door you couldn't smell anyone in and slammed it shut behind you, leaning your head against the wood in an attempt to dull your panic. At least your terror at what you'd done to your just blossoming friendship with Kurapika had erased all traces of hunger from you for the time being. Now it was just replaced with pure _dread_. 

You had a hard time distinguishing what was worse. 

You flipped on the light in the room and unpacked your clothes from the bag, smothering your blushed face into the familiar fabrics. The scent of home still lingered despite the wash they went through and you reluctantly calmed a bit. 

Shrugging off the dress and puffy undershirt until you were only in your underwear, you allowed yourself to lay in the small room nearly naked underneath the moonlight from the window to breathe. Doing this felt familiar somehow. So serene.. 

You slipped on the white tank top that Aunt Mito had miraculously gotten the blood stains out of. Honestly, where would you be without that woman? You'd forgotten you practically owed that family your life. The reminder of the promise you had made to her helped sober you up a bit.

You pulled on the oversized hoodie and zipped it up, relishing in the familiarity of it all. Your pleated skirt probably wasn't the best for running, but it was a lot shorter and wouldn't get in the way like your dress would. You didn't really mind it, especially since the pattern reminded you so much of school. Your vans were something you'd treated yourself too, and you could still remember walking into the store and buying it with the money you'd accumulated from your job at Anteiku.

Gon had even remembered to pack your socks and-

And.. your mask?

Your heart raced as you pulled the item out of the backpack, lips parting in surprise. 

You hadn't come with this.. unless it had been in your pocket? It was old, a white kitsune mask with red highlights that you'd picked out at 12. Looking at it now brought back memories you preferred to keep buried. You scowled at the the thing and shoved it back into the bag a little rougher than necessary. 

Sleeping here would probably be a good idea, but the buffet was supposed to be open all night, and with your past so fresh in your mind, you really wanted a steaming cup of coffee. Sure the stuff was supposed to keep you awake but it used to calm your nerves like nothing else. Drinking it amongst your peers made you feel.. normal. It was so average and so mundane, yet you loved it. 

You hoisted the bag onto your shoulder and slid open the door-

\- only to slide it back with twice the force. Your heart raced once more, and you wondered how many times you were going to get your wits scared out of you. 

Hisoka. Walking. _Right there._

You gulped, slowly sliding the door open a fraction so you could peak your eyes out to see if the coast was clear, just to find his sultry yellows gazing right back. 

"AH!" You panicked and fell backward onto your ass, bag skidding away as you stared up at the man, mortified. 

"Why hello," he smiled, leaning down with his hands on his knees as if he was talking to a small child. You opened your mouth and closed it a few times as you tried to muster the words, but you were too shaken up. "Seems we have the honor of meeting again."

"W-what are yo-"

"Ah ah ah," he chided, and you shut up. "I'm afraid I don't talk to _strangers_. At least introduce yourself first~"

You narrowed your eyes and scowled, unamused. 

"Fuck off," you spat. His eyes lit up with amusement, and suddenly that awful pressuring weight was back full force. You'd been so surprised you hadn't even thought about it, but now that it was back you found yourself struggling to get up off your ass like you'd been planning to. 

"What was that?" He asked, tone mocking as he looked down at you with a eerie smile. You gritted your teeth and then sighed. 

"..(y/n)," you mumbled, defeated. 

"Now that wasn't so hard was it?" He purred, and you clenched your thighs together at his tone. He was making you really uncomfortable. You hated that he was in control of this encounter-

"Now, (y/n)," He began, and the way he said your name left you shuddering, "you be a good girl and get some rest. I wouldn't want you to be knocked out of the exam so early. Especially not before we've gotten to play some more, isn't that right?"

You're trembling again and you cursed yourself for it. Silently, you nodded in agreement. 

"Goodbye, (y/n)~" 

You laid on the floor like that for a while, even after he slid the door shut and you could sense him gone. You did your best to control your breathing, and when you were finally collected, all you felt was white hot anger. How dare he make such a blubbering fool out of you?! How dare YOU let him talk to you like that?

You curl up in the light the window offers and seethe, coffee long forgotten. 


End file.
